Love On Duty
by TheBratClan
Summary: He was the pride of the war, she was a refugee cook, two people from two different worlds, falling in love. A Sakumo Hatake and OC wife story. Their war filled story.
1. Sakumo! The Ninja

Chapter 1: Sakumo! The Ninja

Sakumo felt a bitter relief as he walked out of the light but constant rain and into the Hokage 'office'. It was more like a shacked up tent then office, but it was the best the men could do without using chakra and precious resting time. The third didn't begrudge this at all and as he sat behind his flat table surrounded with mountains of mission reports, he looked up and down one of his finest soldiers.

'Too young,' he thought, taking in the young man's war harden eyes and filthy cloths. No one was clean out in the battle grounds or camps, but everyone did the best they could.

"You summoned me sir?" Sakumo stated his body at attention. Every soldier was on high alert when near the Hokage, not out of fear of their lives, but that the Hokage would be attacked. It has been attempted before plenty of times. "When's the last time you got some shut eye Hatake?" The third asked casual.

"Three days ago sir, not since lightning country attacked."

"What about the rest of your squad, any of them get any shut eye?"

"Sir no sir; Squad Hatake has been awake and alert."

"Hmmm," the third responded, leaning further back in his chair. Sakumo felt the ach in his shoulders begging him to slouch as he waited, to counter it he stiffened himself up more. It wouldn't do to be slacking in front of the Hokage, even one that knew he hadn't slept in over 72 hours. "I have a mission for your squad Hatake, but I'm not going to send out a 4 man cell of tired dogs. Rest up tonight and leave by noon. The mission," at this the Hokage paused and the two men locked serious eyes, "is an escort job, A rank. There is a refugee camp of approximately 32 people-civilian types. You're to meet up with this camp and bring them home. Not all of them are Fire country, but we'll protect them regardless."

With this final regard, the third tossed the young soldier a sealed scroll with all the needed information. Sakumo caught it midair without breaking the stare with the man he respected above all else. A man who lead him and his fellow ninja, who he put his trust into not only as a Hokage but also as a friend.

"You look like shit," they said at the same time. Sarutobi grinned as Sakumo finally allowed his shoulders to slouch down.

"Handing out 'vacation' missions now, eh?" Sakumo asked lazily, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants; finger the kunai that lay there. "Just to the over worked dogs who are trying to kill themselves." Sarutobi replied cheerfully, the sarcasm didn't pass over his head.

Sakumo didn't say anything in his silent manner; it was a trait he'd developed during the war. Had it been any other time, his annoyance with being forced to take a break would have shown though. Sighing Sarutobi leaned forward again in his chair, giving his young friend a serious look. "Listen Sakumo, I know just as much as anybody how much you and your squad does. Extra shifts, supply runs, patrol walks, you all stay up for a week and then crash down for two days to sleep! Your chakra is exhausted and so are you. You and your men are only human, you all need this. End of discussion."

"Understood, _sir_."

So maybe there was still some of his temper left in him.

Sakumo left the Hokage tent without another word, walking swiftly to reach his tent and fellow teammates. As he entered, he was immediately questioned.

"So, what did the Hokage say?"

"Are you in trouble again Sakumo? We told you to stop mouthing off to the Hokage!"

"Shut up, I don't mouth off!" Sakumo defended him self. However, the teasing was all in good fun, his squad mates knew about his closeness to the third, and regularly picked on him for any bad dealing handed down to them from the Hokage. Not that they got many of those, being a high rank squad.

"New mission came in, escort job for some refugees. We leave at 1200 tomorrow, so get some shut eye! No wanking off!" Sakumo grinned as he kicked a teammate's dirty magazine under his bunk.

"That's no good then! I need a good wank before bed! A man's got needs," said the magazine owner.

"Yeah well put your needs on hold for a while. We've all been up for three days and don't want to listen to you get off while trying to finally find some shut eye!" said another, tossing a pillow at the magazine owner.

"Just go to sleep already," said their fourth member, he was already snuggled up in his bunk, his eyes closed.

"Agreed," Sakumo stated, dashing out his bedside candle. The tent fell quiet as they all finally settled in. A few minutes later, Sakumo heard the sound of a magazine flipping open.

They all proceeded to toss their pillows at him.

"Okay, soorry!"

When they awoke, each male went around doing their usual routine. Sakumo rubbed the top of his white head, half heartedly trying to get the spikes to lie nicely as he packed his travel pack. 'Sleeping in your cloths has its advantages,' he thought, leaving the tent to grab some food before leaving.

He waited at the edge of the encampment as his teammates showed up one by one, and when their final remember came, took to the trees. He took point as he lead them South East towards the ocean and the refugee camp approximately 2 days walk away, 1 day at a run if they kept their pace and didn't run into any convoys of enemy ninja.

Of course, they did run into these convoys.

Author's note:

This fanfiction is a collaboration piece between a friend of mine, and my self. On I'm called SunMoonNeko, for a link to our separate profiles check out TheBratClan page!


	2. Chidori! The Refugee

Chapter Two: Chidori! The Refugee!

She really hated when everyone got up.

It was only because when they did, they made a mess which she'd have to clean up and by the time they got up, she was suppose to have breakfast ready with the other women.

She found it annoying.

She didn't mind working, actually she could say she loved to work and cook, it was just the fact that people seemed to generally never stop making her work harder and never clean up after themselves, she worked from the minute she got up to the time she fell asleep in her bedroll.

"Chidori! We need your help over here!" An elderly woman called.

"Damn, never a break." She brushed her deep brown mahogany curly bangs back behind her ears, wishing it would all stay in her bun.

"Help me over here afterwards, Himawari!" Another called.

"I will!" She shouted over the people, dodging them as she made her way over to the cooking stew.

"I need you to get me three onions from the supply box. Now!"

Chidori was off again, making her way towards the camp's supplies.

They were a small encampment, just over thirty people, but they survived. The group had banded together, after taking in many old and very young during the war. Everyone had lost someone; there was no one that didn't have a scar they didn't wish to show.

As she reached her left arm to gather the three onions, a flare of pain shot through her shoulder, making her want to crumble and wait it out. Instead she grinded her teeth, pulling out the three onions and transferred them to the other hand, letting her arm drop.

It was an old injury, the pain flared up several times every day. It wasn't new and it wasn't going way, she had to deal with it. She reasoned that she could deal with it and she did till the pain stopped.

The pain never really went away though.

* * *

She dug into her food vigorously, knowing it was the only break she was getting for awhile.

"Chidori, fix yourself, you are a young lady." An old woman scolded, commanding her.

She almost told the woman to stuff it but decided against it.

This group only functioned as long as everyone got along together and that meant keeping your head down and being quiet. You learned to grin and bear it; mostly without really grinning.

"Well get on it!" The woman snapped again and Chidori reminded herself to keep her mouth shut.

'_Dad would say, "Just ignore her, let the old woman have her way."'_ She thought, standing to fix her clothing. She straightened her brown kimono top, righting it over the green work pants she wore, allowing her tan undershirt to poke through a bit at the bottom. She even retied the black sash to make the woman happy. Her black work boots were muddy and scuffed up; it matched the rest of her ragged appearance.

"There, much better dear. How are you ever going to attract a husband if you never present yourself? You can't stay nineteen forever my dear." The woman said, then turned and went back to her own meal.

Chidori wanted to scream in frustration, she didn't want or need a husband. The only man she had ever wanted or needed in her life was her father and he was gone.

The young woman took a moment to brush the leather throng that held the carving of a bird that her father had once wore before he'd given it to her on her sixteenth birthday. He'd said that it belonged to the little bird he called his daughter.

It wasn't long after that, that he died.

* * *

There was news among the camp that the next day a group of ninja from the Hidden Leaf village were coming to escort them to their village for protection.

People had argued that they were doing fine on their own, they dodged the big fights, took what they could from the deserted encampments that had once belonged to the ninjas on both sides of the war. They were surviving and that was all that mattered. Chidori believed in this.

She didn't believe in asking the great ninja village for help, like many had done. Now because some had requested it, the whole camp had to pack up everything and leave. It wasn't even the fact that they were leaving, the group jumped around a lot already for safety sakes. It was the fact that they were going to a place that was constantly under attack by enemy ninja.

And some weren't even Fire Country, so they really didn't believe in going to the Fire Country's main military base of operations.

Chidori sighed, hearing the group of protesters talk amongst themselves about leaving. She had considered it herself, but she knew she couldn't. She didn't trust any of the members who were leaving, so she couldn't and wouldn't leave with them. And the nineteen year old knew she couldn't make it on her own, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Ultimately she chose to stay with the group even if meant getting stuck in the Leaf village.

"Damn old women will want me back soon, better get going."

She was the only cook near her age that didn't already have a small child to look after or didn't have another job to already do around camp. And the fact was, she was better at cooking then most of the older women, so they took advantage of this and forced her into helping.

In their encampment you either decided to work and earn your keep or you left.

They didn't keep around stragglers.

* * *

Here's the second chapter! Also go look on our profile for references to Chidori!

Translations:

Chidori: One Thousand Birds

Himawari: Sunflower

So her name means "One Thousand Birds of the Sunflower"

-j.d.y.

Next chapter is SunMoonNeko's!


	3. Refugee Camp

**Chapter 3: Refugee Camp**

Sakumo returned his blade to his back as he surveyed the area. It was the third convoy his squad had run into on the way to the refugee camp, pushing them back by at least a half a day.

'Just a little but further. I can already smell them,' he thought, taking a slow deep breath in, tasting the air with his heightened senses.

"I'm starving, lets hurry it on up to this damn camp," groaned Hashimoto Teijo as he walked up behind Sakumo. He'd been cranky all day after they had tossed their pillows at him the other night for trying to wank off.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind a bath either." Said Isao Hitoshi; wiping the blood splatter on his cheek, smearing it. His specialty was close combat, which resulted in more blood spray on his person then the others.

Silently, Shibata Sora made his way over to his best friend and team leader, who still had his head, tipped back subtlety sniffing the air. "The camp is close by," Sakumo told them all, each member nodding their head in understanding. They all trusted Sakumo's strange but reliable ability to smell and hear beyond human capability without using a jutsu, it was simple a Hatake thing.

Noticing where his best friend's eyes had finally focused to, Shibata took to the trees. He couldn't agree more with his teammates, some food and a decent bath sounded heavenly at the moment.

"Hey Sora!" Teijo shouted at his back, each member falling into a messy formation.

"Don't call me that!" He growled back at them, if there was one thing he hated, it was his first name.

"Guys you know how Kakashi gets." Sakumo smiled at his old friend, the nickname coming easily from his mouth. It was the nickname he'd given him after all, as children. Sora had always hated his unsexed name, and when others picked on him for it, he'd run into farmer fields that surrounded the hidden Leaf village. Sakumo had met him under a scarecrow, and thus was his name.

The four man cell continued to run for a short time, till the trees started to thin out. Closer now to the camp, the others could hear the sounds of movement and civilians; no ninja camp would be that loud.

The four shinobi stopped just outside of the small camp, surveying it. Their job was to make sure the people there were secure and moved safely to the capital. Even though the war was suppose to be done with, the five great ninja nations having signed a peace treaty and all, there was still internal conflicts of stray ninja convoys in each other's territory. It was the unspoken rule that they were fair game, if they made it out alive, it was let go of.

They entered from the south end of the camp, where there was a lot of traffic going on.

Immediately civilians started to shout out to them and each other, "Ninja! The Ninjas are here!" Sakumo wasn't surprised at the mixed reaction of the crowd; some looked relieved and thankful while some looked distraught about their presence. Those were probably the civilians from outside of Fire country.

"This'll be fun," muttered Hitoshi, as the refugee's closed in on them. It was time to get to work.

Inside one of the supply tents, Chidori heard the calls that the ninja had arrived on the South side of the camp, opposite of the cooking area. 'Well, that didn't take too long now did it,' she thought to her self, picking up a large bag of rice. She ignored the flare of her wound, and carried it out.

Setting the large sack down next to the pit that held the rice cooking pot over a steadily burning fire, she exchanged it for the large iron pot that still needed to be filled with fresh water. The water source they had camped next to was a small but clean river that most likely ran into the ocean.

The dish she was in charge of was a simple one: Miso soup and rice. Even though the women who were in charge wanted her around to help out, they never gave her much to do. 'Like I'm some kid, I've been cooking all my life! I know what to do, damn those hens.' Chidori thought, dipping the pot into the water. She gave it a good scrub in the cold water, dumping it out and filling it again afresh.

She made her way back towards the camp, a quick ten minute walk, muttering under her breath about old women who were trying to set her up and treated her like a child because she didn't have a child of her own at nineteen.

Walking out from the tree line, she spotted what she easily recognized as a ninja. He was tall, and hiding behind his bulky green vest was a young lean body. The back of his head was a messy, long silver spikes sticking up all of which way. And his grubby hands were digging around in the food.

She shot forward and with a swing of her hand, wacked him upside the head. "Get your grubby steeling hands off of that! You don't just take food from the food station, you ask damn you, I don't care if you're a ninja or not!" She growled out, setting the full pot back into its place to start boiling, ignoring the hiss of sloshed water hitting the fire.

Sakumo stared at the little woman who had just hit him. Of course he was aware that another person was coming up behind him, however he never expected those civilian steps to get him hit.

She was of average height, with a petite but developed figure telling him that she was past her teenage years and was a young woman. Her long mass of brown mahogany ringlet curls were half heartedly pulled up into a bun, with long bangs falling out around her heart shaped face, falling into her eyes. Her eyes were the gems on her face, all green. They had vivid shades of bright emerald green, with shadows of darker forest green and highlights of yellow green, all radiated out from the center of her pupils.

However, when his eyes drifted down to her lips, he snapped back into composure. There was a nasty sneer on her lips, curling back over her pretty white teeth at him. This was no dainty flower that fluttered her eyes at ninja.

"Are you the cook?" He asked politely, ignoring the rude behavior she showed him.

"One of them; if you want food you're going to have to wait." She told him, turning her back to him to work.

Chidori ignored the feel of the handsome ninja's eyes on her. The messy hair looked just as messy in the front as it did in the back; however it was almost easily over looked when looking at his face. The strong line of his chin and jaw was attractive, even coupled with the lazy shape of his eyes and the dark slate gray color of them. 'So what if he's attractive, he had his dirty hands all over the food a moment ago!' she thought, dismissing her thoughts as easily as she dismissed the man behind her.

"We haven't eaten since we left for this mission," Sakumo stated, a bite entering his voice. Who was this little woman to tell him that they couldn't eat, they were here to protect them after all!

"I told you you're going to have to wait, damn it!" Chidori snapped back at him, picking up a small sack of fresh apples in it, she shoved it into his arms before turning back to the miso preparations. If this ninja kept bothering her, she wouldn't have the food ready on time.

Sakumo glanced down into the sack, surprised to see the fresh red apples. The infuriating woman had just told him that he would have to wait to eat and she shoves apples at him. So maybe she wasn't so infuriating.

"Are you still here? Go away, I'm busy!"

Or maybe she was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: This chapter was written by SunMoonNeko.

**Name explanation:** -Surname, first name- (who you'd recognize them as)

Hashimoto Teijo: (porn magazine guy) Hashimoto means true bridge while Teijo means righteous, well governed.

Isao Hitoshi: (Pillow toss guy) Isao means honor; merit while Hitoshi means even tempered; level.

Shibata Sora: (quiet guy) Shibata means firewood rice field, while Sora is a unsexed name for sky.

For picture reference for Chidori's eyes and hair, check out our profile and you'll see the links!


	4. The Caretaker

**Chapter Four: The Caretaker**

Chidori shoved the bedroll into the ninja's chest angrily.

She couldn't believe the audacity of the older women.

"Actually I can." She mumbled, growling as she stalked her way around the supply bin. The group carried extra everything: blankets, bedrolls, tents, and anything else they would need. If something was broken it got replaced or fixed, depending on how damaged it was.

It looked like they were supplying the ninjas with sleeping arrangements.

The unofficial leaders of the encampment had decided that since the Leaf village would be guarding them for several days and were willing to put their lives on the line to protect them, Chidori had snorted at his words, that they should at least give the men proper sleeping quarters.

She'd snorted again, ready to resume her normal job of cooking.

To her these men were being ordered to protect them and would probably be getting paid a high sum for their services; they didn't need to mooch off the small group anymore than they had to. They were already getting fed, they were going to have their clothes washed for them, and they were now getting a tent, a bedroll, and blankets.

When she'd asked for a blanket because her old one had been ripped in half to wrap around a bleeding girls leg, she'd been given a bedroll and told it was her problem; she could buy a new one. And now the ninja were getting not just a bed roll and one blanket but several.

They were being treated, in her opinion, like a Feudal Lords.

"Damn, that girl has spirit." Teijo said, watching as Hitoshi rubbed his chest where Chidori had shoved the bedroll in his chest.

"You're telling me." She looked helpless, but the girl had some strength to her.

"I wonder what it would be like to get her into bed. A man does have needs." Teijo said considering, watching her angrily stomp around the little area they'd be given. She was counting out the things they needed.

"Touch me and you'll find yourself missing valuable anatomy." Chidori growled out, shoving a tent pole into his chest. And then she sweetly added, "Here hold this."

If he even thought about touching her or made the suggestion around her again, she wouldn't be held responsible for what she did to him.

"Leave the girl alone." Sakumo sighed, watching as the cook who had hit him grumbled about his fellow men and a sneaky old woman. He really couldn't believe they'd gotten the one person who seemed to despise them the most as their caregiver.

Chidori was assigned to take care of the men. That included making their meals, making sure they were comfortable enough, and cleaning up after them.

She really, really despised the old woman. She knew that it had something to do with them, that she'd been assigned this job. They were trying to marry her off to one of the 'good' ninjas who were helping them, as if in thanks or for her own good she wasn't sure.

"Are you always this pissy?" Hitoshi asked.

"When I have to deal with asshole ninja, yeah I am."

"Aww sweetheart, I'm not an asshole. I just wish to know what you're hiding under those clothes." Teijo offered suggestively.

"I don't have to wonder what's under yours because there's nothing there." She smiled innocently, watching his eyes go big.

"She got you there!" Kakashi appeared behind the nineteen year old woman, laughing. It wasn't everyday that someone stunned Teijo speechless.

"What are you, an asshole too?" She growled, her mood plummeting. Her shoulder was beginning to ache from all the lifting. She wished they had camped near a hot spring, so she could soak her muscles, but it was hopeless. She'd have to settle for hot rags later.

"No. Do you need any help?" He asked, easily, sending glares at his teammates for not offering to help the young woman. Kakashi had always been the type to help and it irked him that the other three were enjoying watching her flutter around angrily.

"That would be nice." The young refugee decided that she liked this one out of the group, the rest were assholes, but he seemed okay. As long as he wasn't trying to get into her pants, she didn't mind him.

"Put me to work!" He followed after her, as she had him help her carry things back to their little camp site; Kakashi mostly took the heavier items.

Another thing about having to be at the ninja's beck and call was that they're tent was right next to hers.

And thus she was subjected to their talking and joking as they kept telling one of their teammates to put the magazine away. She was thankful for it, because she didn't want to be privy to hearing the implication of what that magazine was.

"Will you all shut up? We have an early start tomorrow!" She yelled.

They were quiet for a few minutes before they got rowdy again.

Chidori had enough, going out into the cool night air. She had a feeling that none of them were going to be quiet anytime soon. She'd try bunking with someone.

"They're going to hate themselves when I go to switch patrol with them." Sakumo appeared beside her. "You should be in bed. It's not safe at night."

"Do not tell me what to do." She growled, the cool night air was refreshing. She just wished she could go to sleep.

"The three of them are beginning to drop off to sleep; they won't interrupt your sleep any longer." He held his hands up as she rounded on him. He'd rather not get smacked upside the head again.

"How do you know that?" He could be just trying to get her back to bed and then not let her out of her tent afterwards.

"Their breath has evened out and they're no longer talking. I can hear them."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Her eyes watched him carefully, suspiciously.

"There's no reason to lie. Go back to bed; I don't want to have to worry about your dead body showing up in the morning."

"I can take care of myself." Growling, she walked past him, taking the time to hit him in the back of the head.

She wasn't sure if he was talking about killing her himself or if there was something out there, but she was scared never the less, as she headed back to her tent.

She hated that he was right about the other three being asleep.

**Author's Note:**

Remember that 'Kakashi' isn't the one you want to think of yet, it's actually Sora, Sakumo's best friend.


	5. To Survive

**Chapter Five: To Survive**

It took a few days to everything around camp sorted out before heading to the Fire ninja capital, Konoha.

Chidori watched with passive eyes as some packed up their personal supplies and left, some convincing others, some being convinced to stay. It was the way of the refugees, and even though she was sad to see some go, she would not say a word to them. 'Too bad only one of those crazy old ladies left,' she thought privately to herself, grimacing over the boiling pots. With one less cook around, she had to step up in her duties and run the previously abandoned station.

"Himawari-san, I need flour and some eggs!" barked an older cook to her right; she had a fondness of treating the young cooks like they were nothing but servants. "Ask someone else," she responded absently, cutting up her needed supplies in quick efficient movements. She had always been hell with a knife, part of the reason why she had taken lead with cooking over her father as well as within the camp. "Excuse me? I said I needed flour and eggs," said the elderly woman, her voice darkening as she stopped to stare down the youngest member. She would not be disrespected by some newbie who thought they could cook, let alone at her level.

"And I said ask someone else," Chidori said back, her own voice darkening as she met the stare head on. She refused to be the older cooks' doormats any longer, especially with them heading into Konoha.

"I'm asking you girl," the woman voice said viciously, no, she would not tolerate rudeness from some little girl who has never cooked for more then her self! Not for a home, not for a husband and not for children!

Chidori let loose a low growl as she snapped her hand down on the cutting board. She had just about enough of all these old ladies and pain in the ass ninja thinking they could order her around! "And I'm telling you to ask someone else," she said just as viciously, "I'm not a servant, I'm a cook. Just because I haven't had the same life as you doesn't mean I am any less good at it, or that I should be treated less because I haven't had a husband or children to feed as of yet in my life!" The words came out with power, she was practically spitting at them all now, as everyone within hearing range had stopped in their tasks to see the commotion that was going on.

"Why you little ungrateful bitch," the woman snarled, her face turning purple with her rage as her strong hand curled tightly around the cleaver knife she had been using. She began to pace forward towards Chidori who stood with her shoulder tossed back and her electric green eyes flashing lightning with petal pink lips curled into a challenging sneer. Within her own calloused hand she held steady her working knife, preparing herself for whatever the outcome was to be.

Chidori blinked, and then blinked again in surprise. She was ready for the woman to attack her but she had not expected for someone to interfere. When deadly fights broke out in camp, the fighters were on their own and whoever was victorious earned their spot among them. It sounded barbaric and that was because it was, but being a civilian in the middle of what had been a ninja war left many behind with looser morals. She had already fought once before to be allowed in.

She was too old to be considered a child, and she was a young attractive woman who was wandering around alone before being found by them. A few were suspicious that she was an enemy ninja sent to infiltrate them. One has spoken out louder then others, a man with watery eyes and an ugly old smirk as he whispered what deadly things she could be planning to do to them in their sleep. Slit their throats without a sound, torture their children before them, seduce their men for the village secrets before attaching explosive tags to them all, killing the camp with a single bang. The way his eyes roamed her starving body, lingering in inappropriate places at each horrendous suggestion made acid rise to her throat, coating her teeth with it as she bit back her angry response. His words were enough to scare them, but she refused to be left behind to die because one man's sick ways. She challenged him, letting her anger fill her weary body and empty from her head. It was something she was good at, letting the strength of her anger fill her in order to aid her without clouding her mental judgment. In the end, she joined the camp with minimal injuries while the man decided to leave with a black eye, an obvious limp and several of his teeth missing.

So the fact that someone was standing between her and her attacker surprised her more then anyone else who was watching. 'I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though,' she thought, a displeased frown forming on her face as her eyes took in who stood before her. A tall, lean frame stood casually but alert in front of her, his hands dipped into his pockets while a tantō rested at the center of his deceptively relaxed back. Short white silver hair ruffled in the silent breeze as he turned his head, observing the crowd as well as the sputtering cook in front of him. Sakumo had popped up without a trace before her, halting her enraged advance and causing her to stumble back a few steps to balance her self out.

* * *

He had been on guard duty since breakfast, and the grumble of his stomach as well as the hearty smell of food in the air let him know that it about to be dinner. Since the camp wasn't ready to be moved right away upon arrival, he had allotted them a few days to determine who was coming and to arrange everything. Today was the final day before they set out in the morning, back to Konoha.

He had his squad on a rotating roaster, complete with code words before being relieved of duty. The ninja who was coming on duty's words were: Apples, bed, smile. Teijo had picked the rather innocent words, however when his eyes lingered on the cook Himawari Chidori as she walked past while they were discussing it, it made sense. Sakumo did his best to ignore the annoyance at his friend for going after the annoying woman; even if she had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with any of them.

The responding words he picked, as a double safety in case enemy ninja tried to pose as one of them before attacking. The returning words were: Annoying, brat, sleepless. So maybe he picked his words around her too, but at least his weren't with underlining meaning of trying to get her into his bed.

Hitoshi was next in line to take active guard duty. He was the type to be there the moment his shifted started, waving casual at you while saying the safe words like they were having a conversation. It made it harder to determine which words were being used as code. So when he was there a few moments late, Sakumo was on high guard. He waited patiently as the ninja approached, looking for all intent and purpose like his teammate, even waving at him with a slightly hurried step. "Hey, how are things back at camp?" Sakumo asked casually, grasping the weapon he had hidden in his pockets.

"The usual, ya know? Getting apples as handouts, Teijo trying to charm a girl into bed, and Kakashi without a smile one moment and with one the next; the guy is pretty weird sometimes." Hitoshi said, his eyes flickering with amusement. He was well aware of the code word reference, even without his two squad members saying a word about the young cook who has captured both their attentions for two completely different reasons. He spun a kunai lazily on his finger, stepping closer. To anyone else, it would seem like a relaxed situation, a fellow ninja coming onto guard duty, just messing around with a free weapon. However, anyone who knew Hitoshi knew that by now you should be on red alert because he was well within killing distant to you; the spinning kunai was just a formality. With or without it, he could mess you up 1,000 taijutsu ways from Sunday.

"How about you, eh, Captain?" He asked with a friendly smile. An enemy nin would never see it coming with how pleasant Hitoshi acted. "A bit annoyed that one of my finer squad mates is late to their report, but I'll probably over look it once I get some dinner from that brat-cook. She's been pretty sleepless lately, and then takes it out on me." Sakumo replied, rubbing the back of his head where Chidori seem to always strike. The girl was a civilian, with civilian strength and speed, but it just didn't feel right defending himself against her, no matter how much she annoyed him.

"You'll want to stop in there pretty quickly, Captain. There's been some tense air around there while I was leaving, and people were gathering around." Hitoshi informed him, already taking up Sakumo's former spot in a tall tree. Surveillance wasn't his favorite part of the job, but it was one that he performed carefully none the less.

"Yeah you got it, been hearing some odd murmurs, so I'll head back now. Kakashi's up next!" Sakumo called over his shoulder, a reminder that was unnecessary but one that he gave regardless. He moved quickly away from the designated guard post, jumping though the trees instead of taking to the ground. The murmurs were getting louder and clearer as he moved, some whispers of who would live and who would die. He found it particularly concerning that civilians had taken to such behaviors as death fights, but he wasn't surprised. He had seen worse in the war.

Upon sighting the situation going down between the two cooks, Sakumo took immediate action. He wasn't about stand by for the results as his favorite annoying cook and another refugee battled it out. In a flash of white he was standing in front of Chidori, forcing the older cook to stumble backwards. The large cleaver in her hand lowered to her side, but her grip on it didn't relax, and so Sakumo grip on the kunai in his pocket didn't either. He turned his head to capture a glimpse of Chidori, her infamous scowl on her lips, but her green eyes held a spark of surprise and curiosity. Apparently the woman was use to fighting her own battles, alone. We'll, he frankly thought it was unnecessary.

'And stupid,' he thought sharply, noting her tight grip on her own knife. She was just as ready to through herself into the death match as the older woman, who was recovering quickly in front of him. "Ninja-san! Thank goodness you're here! Escort this ungrateful girl out of our camp!" the woman demanded, her squinty eyes bright as if she had won already. Chidori felt her dampened anger rise again, she wasn't about to let this pig faced woman toss her out!

"Sakumo-san, she doesn't have the authority to order that! I haven't done anything to be tossed out, regardless!" Chidori fired right back.

"Why you little bit-," the cook begun, pointing her finger at the younger one.

"Cook-san." Sakumo said sharply, his voice calm but deadly, a voice of authority.

Flinching back, the woman dropped her pointing hand, her eyes wide and on the ninja. She was more then willing to take on some ungrateful brat, but a ninja captain was a title to respect, and one she feared. "Yes, ninja-san…" she said quietly.

"Please reframe from such insulting words." With a glance behind him, Sakumo cleared Chidori's smug look by adding, "Both of you." She huffed at him but didn't argue. "I don't know what caused such a fight, but now is not the time to be conducting your selves in such a manner. We will be moving out tomorrow morning, it is vital to this camp that everyone has been well fed tonight. Are you going to be shrinking your duties?" he demanded an answer, and with such an intense look in his eyes, the cook could do nothing but cower back, meekly answering him. "No ninja-san, I won't shrink my duties." She said nothing of Chidori's behavior towards her, fearing the repercussions of mentioning her own uncooperative behavior to him.

Gentling his stern face slight, he offered up a small smile which caused the old lady to respond in kind, "Thank you, cook-san. You're very important to this camp's survival, it would be a great loss to see you go." Even though the words had been said with the upmost care, it was not lost to either the cook or the crowd that was still gathered at what he meant to see her go. "Thank-ank you ninja-san. If you'll excuse me," she said quickly, rushing off to go gather the supplies she needed, far away from him. With this the crowd dispelled on its own, bustling off to do their own chores now that the drama was over.

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Author's Note:

Yes, I did use Japanese suffixes. Get over your selves readers if you don't like it. They're basic Japanese grammar markers, and just because you're an English speaker/reader, doesn't mean you can't go up and beyond and learn a few things from another culture.

If you are truly new to the suffixes, this simple explanation will work fine.

Suffixes are added to people's names and/or titles to show your respect and your relationship to that person.

The suffixes –chan and –kun are familiar ones used for friends or family members, people you are close with.

The suffix –san covers a lot of ground, it's basically saying Sir, Ma'am, Mr. Mrs. Miss, all rolled into one. This is the basic level of respect, and if you're unsure what other term to use, you use this one. It's also added on to relationship like co-workers, or for older siblings, cousins, or older members of society who are in the same age group or older then you.

The suffix –sama is a higher level of respect that of –san, and can be used for all of the same purposes as –san can, but it indicates a much more respectful relationship. You might use this for a person you really admire, or for a client or your boss.

Please note the LACK of a suffix is a big thing in Japanese culture, it indicates that you have a particularly close relationship. I'm talking; you only say your significant other's name without suffix after you get married type of important. Parents do say their children's name without suffixes but they usually use –kun or –chan.


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